Amelie Botbol | JNS
Eli Wininger, an IDF reservist and avid fitness enthusiast, ran 251 miles (400 kilometers) in Utah last October, raising $40,000 for hostages held in Gaza. On Nov. 2, he plans to run the New York City Marathon dressed as Batman, in honor of the Bibas children murdered by Hamas.
A veteran of endurance events, including the Ironman Triathlon, Wininger had originally registered for the Utah race in October 2023. Then Hamas launched its Oct. 7 onslaught on southern Israel, killing some 1,200 people, and the Gaza war erupted.
“Oct. 7 happened. I am an IDF reservist. I dropped the race, flew to Israel, and fought for five months, two of which were in Gaza. I no longer had motivation to race,” Wininger told JNS.
Inspired by U.K. fitness coach Yoel Levy, Wininger ordered a Batman costume for the March 2025 Los Angeles Marathon. That event took place shortly after the remains of Kibbutz Nir Oz residents Shiri Bibas and her sons Kfir and Ariel were returned to Israel following their murder in Hamas captivity. Ariel, 4, was a dedicated fan of the Gotham City protector, and there are photos of family members wearing Batman T-shirts and costumes.
“It was a way to show the innocence of those murdered on Oct. 7 and the cruelty, the awfulness — the pure barbarism — of what Hamas did. It was animalistic and perpetrated by terrorists who just want to destroy, bring fear and don’t care who they kill or who they attack,” Wininger said.
Run With the Flag
Wininger emphasized the importance of face-to-face encounters to limit anti-Israel activism to social media.
“When I run with the Israeli flag or in a Batman uniform, people ask me why. It raises awareness. A Muslim from Afghanistan came up to me with a video camera, asking how I feel about what’s happening in Gaza and children and civilians being murdered,” he said.
“I explained why I was wearing my Batman costume and what happened to the Bibas kids. Death on either side is tragic, but you point fingers at terrorists, at Hamas, and not at Israel,” he added.
Being an IDF reservist, he said, lends credibility in such conversations when people are open-minded.
“They see that I am not just someone who has read another article, or who grew up a certain way. I’m someone who’s been there physically, I’ve been on the ground and I’ve seen what’s happening. I know what the IDF protocols and rules of engagement are, and I’m not just echoing something I’ve heard but something I’ve experienced, lived and seen with my own eyes,” he said.
Still, some people, Wininger noted, refuse to speak to him once they hear he is an IDF reservist.
“Those people are hopeless. If you’re going to instantly categorize people, then I don’t need to waste my time talking to them,” he said.
“Always be willing and open to talk and listen to people. It’s the only way we will reach common ground with the other side and have them understand us. Each and every one of us has to do the most that we can to spread awareness in our own unique way.
“While not everyone can be in Gaza fighting and not everyone can run a marathon in a Batman suit, everyone can do their own little thing,” he said.
He cited the example of a woman who follows him on social media and committed to running 250 kilometers (~155 miles) for the hostages over the course of October.
At times, he said, carrying an Israeli flag during races has made him a target. Some runners yelled obscenities, called him a Nazi, or accused Israel of genocide and starving Gazans.
Rather than engage in arguments mid-race, Wininger said he simply raised the flag higher and kept going. Often, he added, people later approached him to praise his composure.
“They are not even Jewish or Israeli. They are innocent bystanders who see one side as aggressive and the other as responding. I think that is the message we want people to see,” he said.
“Keep your cool, keep a straight face, talk to them like a human being, keep your composure. It sends a much louder message to people watching — and to the person doing it as well,” he continued.
“Stand your ground, speak with confidence and know that you are on the right side of history. I know I am. That’s how I am able to speak with composure each time,” he said.
